u/Tacoaboutgames

Hello people of Reddit, I am on a bit of a side quest to watch all of classic doctor who and rank them. I have previously ranked the Sixth Doctor Serials and now I am back with the 7th and 8th Doctor's Era (combining them because 8 has like 1.5 stories):

1. Curse of Fenric: What a fantastic episode. Everything from this episode was perfect, Sylvester and Fenric feels like they are always one step ahead of each other, the creepy and eerie setting, Ace finding out Fenric bringing her to the ice world and the Doctor new, Ace character development with her mother and finding out that baby is her mother was amazing, and that ending where the doctor had to break her faith in the Doctor to defeat Fenric is one of the cruelest things I have ever seen the doctor done.
2. Remembrance of the Daleks: I mean this is peak Sylvester manipulating and setting the game to trap the enemy. Throughout this story, McCoy is just doing things that I knew was going to head to something but I didn't know what. It was really cool seeing Coal Hill and Totter's Lane again, presumable right after episode 1. This is not even mentioning the Daleks, I feel they are more threatening then Revelation, which I never thought would happen. Also the Dalek civil war was pretty fun.
3. The Happiness Patrol: Creepy episode, the idea that you have to be happy or you will be arrested feels like if the episode Smile was mixed with 1984. The blues guy was cool, the Kandyman was both funny and gross looking, and Hellen A was genuinely one of the creepiest villains in classic who.
4. Survival: I am so sad that this was the last episode of classic who and this story was really good. I thought it was a bit goofy, that people were turning into cats at first but it ended up being pretty compelling.
5. Paradise Towers: I would put this episode along side the Macra Terror for one of the best Dystopian serial of Classic Who. You really feel like this society has eroded away and we are seeing how disconnected everything is, which lends itself to a really nice ending where everyone is united to fight Kroagnon
6. Silver Nemesis: While this isn't the best cybermen story ever and a bit of a mess of an serial, this was such a fun story. I like how three different groups converge to find the Nemesis, and the actors who played Lady Peinforte and Richard were really good
7. Ghost Light: I think that was good? I don't really understand it well. I tried watching a video explaining it but I don't really understand it.
8. The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: The Gods of Ragnarok are pretty good villains, Cook was an asshole, I felt bad for Mags the whole time and the concept is really good. The thing that really makes this episode suffer is just my personal dislike for the circus.
9. Dragonfire: While the ending with the guy Indiana Jones style melting was cool, the story was ok. I think that Mel's character leaving with Glitz was a bad idea, the most baffling clifhanger in doctor who happens, and the 7th doctor just isn't at his strongest this episode. Ace was great however.
10. Battlefield: I always love seeing the Brigadier. Besides that, this serial was weird. The Arthurian elements were just strange. However, just because its weird doesn't mean I didn't enjoyed this serial, it was very much an ok story.
11. Time and the Rani: This was probably the most middle ground story of doctor who. There isn't really anything that I outwardly dislike about the serial, but there isn't really anything I find good. The Rani was fine, McCoy is not at his strongest compared to most stories, the Lakertyan's plot was ok, and the Bat people were more goofy than intimidating
12. Delta and the Bannerman: Besides Ray, I didn't really enjoy this episode. I am usually fine with campy episodes, but this was just too campy. The Bannerman were boring villains and the side characters were just not great.

8th Doctor Stories:

1. Doctor Who TV Movie: I really like the movie. Mcgann's doctor is infectious and he is the doctor that I think of as the doctor who deserves his own spin off series. It has one of the most gorgeous Tardis sets, while not the best Master story I enjoyed Eric Roberts portrayal of the Master, and the plot of trying to close the eye of harmony was fun. I also really like Grace, I thought she was a great companion and its the first time the Doctor is shown as a romantic hero.
2. Night of the Doctor: Really a half episode but what a great mini episode. I like how in less than 7 mins we really get to see how great the wilderness doctor is. The need to adapt and having your old self die in a firey crash during the time of war is such a beautiful concept.

The seventh doctor's stories were great, I really love how he feels menacing and mysterious to a level that you don't really feel with any other doctor's besides Eckelson. I also love Ace, she is such a fun character and the best character arc in Classic who. She feels like a Nuwho companion and her relationship with the doctor is excellent. The 8th doctor feels like a missed opportunity. I really like him but all I can think is that I want more. I know he is prevalent in audio's and I really like him in the ones I have heard however. Now at this moment I have watched every doctor who episode. This was meant for only classic who but do you guys want me to continue to Christopher Eckelson?

I think this is just because of where I live but I can’t find a lot of South Asian stories that aren’t philosophy, religious, or the jungle book. Don’t get me wrong, I love those books but I want to read our subcontinents greatest stories. I want to find books written by South Asians authors that are modern classics. Any genre works for me.